As a diplomatist, Mr. Kruger earned Bismarck's commendation. The great German, who had met him, saw in him the strongest man of our time. He was, however, destitute of that noble instinct without which statesmanship builds upon the shifting sands--the instinct of justice and fair play. Personally corrupt, since he was not above charging very heavy travelling expenses for a certain trip in which he was the guest of Cape Colony; winking at or openly justifying corruption in others; laying up a colossal fortune out of the stealings of himself and his friends from the State, he had all the uncouthness and all the iron determination of an Abraham Lincoln, but lacked the great American's cleanness of hand and love of justice and of right. [Illustration: PRESIDENT KRUGER. Born at Rustenberg, near Colesberg, Cape Colony, October 10, 1825. Emigrated across the Vaal, 1837. Member of Executive Council under President Burghers, 1872. President of Transvaal since 1883; re-elected 1888, 1893, 1898.] [Illustration: DOPPER CHURCH, PRETORIA. The Dopper or Quaker Church, Pretoria, where President Kruger very often preached. It stood directly opposite his house, and has quite recently been replaced by a more modern structure.] [Sidenote: 1881-1896.] _Character of President Kruger._] Mr. Kruger was by birth a peasant, and remained to the end a peasant in ideas. His will power was coupled with a subtle cunning; his horizon was narrow, and limited and never expanded; his mind was always filled with suspicion and jealousy of all that he could not understand. His patriotism had not prevented him from taking office under the British Government, and asking from that government higher pay. His attitude to the Outlanders, were these of British nationality, was one of insolent contempt. When Johannesburg presented a petition asking for reforms, he remarked, "Ah! that's just like my monkey. You know I keep a monkey in my back yard, and the other day, when we were burning some rubbish, the monkey managed to get his tail burnt, whereupon he bit me. That's just like these people in Johannesburg. They burn their tails in the fire of speculation and then they come and bite me." [Illustration: THE PRESIDENT'S HOUSE, PRETORIA. This house was given to Paul Kruger by a man named Nellmapius, the original liquor concessionaire, as a small token of gratitude. The only outward signs of its purpose are the flagstaff and a lazy sentry.] "Protest! protest!" he said on another occasion, "what is the good of protesting? You have not got the guns! I have." [Illustration: A MONSTER ANT-HILL. The veldt throughout South Africa, but particularly in parts of the Transvaal, is dotted at frequent intervals by ant-heaps, some of which are as large as the one shown above. The natives use the smaller ones as ovens, first driving out the ants by smoke, and then hollowing out the inside.] [Illustration: THE RAADZAAL, PRETORIA.